Office desk equipment



Oct. 3, 1961 F. G. STARK OFFICE DESK EQUIPMENT 2 Sheets-Shea*I 1 Filed March 25, 1958 lll'llf ISU INVENTOR. F1 G' I FOREST asv-ARK BY.' @m4, m, @df f @M ATTORNEYS- Oct. 3, 1961 F. G. STARK OFFICE DESK EQUIPMENT Filed March 25, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I I I I I I I I l I I I I l I I 1NVENT0R:

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BY.' @amg m, M r @zaag ATTORNEYS nited States Patent O 3,002,797 OFFICE DESK EQUIPMENT Forest G. Stark, Jamestown, N.Y., assignor to Art Metal Construction Company, Jamestown, NX. Filed Mar. 25, 1958, Ser. No. 723,693 1 Claim. (Cl. S12-194) This invention relates to olce furniture, and more particularly to office desks and the sliding drawer facilities thereof.

It is an object of the present invention to provide, in combination with a conventional type desk drawer, a novel rack insert comprising essentially a plurality of shelves for accommodation of stationery supplies and the like.`

Another object is to provide a device as aforesaid which is particularly suited for use in combination with a detachable machine platform when disposed to extend at one side of the desk, whereby the underlying drawer space is nevertheless usable as distinguished from prior arrangements rendering such spaces inaccessible.

Another object is to provide a device as aforesaid which is versatile, in that it is fully adapted to alternative use in either right and left hand desk drawers.

Still another object is to provide a device as aforesaid which wastes none of the available drawer space, and which is so designed that it may be constructed inexpensively of sheet metal or the like by standard shop procedures.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the specification and drawings hereinafter wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a device of the invention arranged in combination with a standard type desk Vand machine platform unit;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged scale front elevational View of the open desk drawer of FIG. l; showing in broken lines the rack device of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary, enlarged scale, sectional View taken along line 'III-III of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an open side elevation of the drawer and rack of FIG. 2, as viewed by the user in an arrangement opposite that shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 5 is a view corresponding to FIG. 4 but of the rack support drawer component only.

As shown in the drawing, the invention is employed in conjunction with a standard office type flat top desk indicated generally at having pedestals 12, 14 carrying drawers 15. A detachable machine platform as indicated at 16, comprising a at top portion 18; an end support 20; and a back panel 22, is hooked at its inner end portion 24 by means of a bent metal clip over the rail 26 under the reference slide 28, such as is conventionally supplied with the desk. Thus, the platform 16 is detachably mounted as an extension of the standard desk to support either a typewriter or calculator or other oce machine; -it being understood that the desk and machine platform arrangements hereinabove described are of previously known constructions, and per se are not claimed as new in the art.

Whereas heretofore use of machine platforms as hereinabove described rendered the drawer space directly be-` low the platform top panel to be substantially inaccessible for practicable use, the present invention contemplates employment in novel combination, of a modified drawer construction and a removable rack disposed therein and having vertically spaced shelves opening toward an open side portion of the supporting drawer. Thus, the rack is thereby adapted to receive classified stenographic supplies such as stationery and the like, in such manner as to be readily accessible to the stenographer.

For example, as shown in EFIGS. 1, 2, the upper drawer space immediately below the position of the machine plat- 3,002,797 Patented Oct. 3, 1961 ICC form is arranged to be occupied by a drawer as indicated generally at 30 (FIG. l) including a front panel portion 32 and reduced-height side wall portions .i4- 34; the drawer assembly being slidably supported in the desk in any suitable manner, such as for example by means of a pair of so-called side arm roller suspensions indicated at 38. A hook as indicated at 39 is provided on the suspension rail 3S to contact a stop bracket 40 on the drawer to limit its outward movement, relative to the slide, as is known in the art; and a stop flange 41 at the rear end of the drawer limits its ultimate outward movement.

The rack of the invention is illustrated in more detail in FIGS. 2-4 (the latter view being of a drawer mounted in the left pedestal 12); and as illustrated therein comprises a unitary assembly including front and `rear sheet metal end walls 42-43 respectively; a back wall 44; a false bottom plate 46 terminating at its front edge in a down-turned skirt portion 47; and vertically spaced inclined shelves 48-49 opening on the exposed side of the drawer. Vertical partitions 50 may be provided for optional use as shown for subdividing the shelf spaces into separate compartments for receiving different supplies.

The rank unit is overall dimensioned so as to easily slip-tit into the drawer 30, as shown for example in FIGS. l, 2, 4; whereupon the shelf spaces will be freely accessible to the stenographer by simply reaching under the platform top plate through the substantially open side of the drawer. The slopes of the shelves operate to guard against unintended displacements of the stationery or other supplies. It will be appreciated that the rack of the invention is adapted to be manually lifted in and out of and set into either a right hand drawer of the desk, as shown in FIGS. l-3; or in a left hand drawer thereof as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, to suit different stenographers simply by turning the rack to face in the proper direction and then setting it in an appropriate drawer.

As shown in FIG. 2 the partitions 50 may be conveniently mounted on the shelves by means of depending ears 51 slip-fitting downwardly into slots formed in the shelves; and at their upper rear corners the partitions for the two lower Shelves slip-fit between opposed ends of flanges portions 52 formed integrally with the shelves and running horizontally inside of the rear wall plate 44 of the rack. The shelves are conveniently fabricated of sheet metal or the like, flanged at their opposite ends as indicated at 53 to abut the end plates 42, 43; and are preferably rolled at their front edges as indicated at 54 to provide smooth contact surfaces for the hands of the stenographer.

Whereas only one form of the invention has been illustrated and described in detail hereinabove, it will be understood that various changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the following claim.

I claim:

In combination with a desk, a machine platform detachably connected to the desk for temporary association therewithin either one of two alternate positions relative thereto, and a removable rack cooperable with the desk structure for disposition in cooperation with the machine platform to retain the useful drawer space of the desk, said desk having a pedestal at either side thereof and there being drawers in each of said pedestals, at least one of said drawers being of modied construction having front and back walls, side walls and a bottom wall, at least one of said side walls being of reduced height so that such drawer is open throughout the major extent of its side, said machine platform being cooperable with the desk structure for fixed disposition relative thereto adjacent one of said pedestals and in such position as to overlie the region into which the drawers of that pedestal are movable when in open position, said rack being positionable in said modified drawer in either one of said pedestals, dependent upon the position of said machine platform and being disposed in a drawer of that pedestal with which the machine platform is associated, said rack having a front and rear Wall, a side Wall of a height corresponding to the height of said front and rear walls, and havingV a wall at its opposite side of reduced height and corresponding to the open side Wall of the modified drawer, said rack also having a bottom wall portion sloping downwardly from the open edge of the side wall thereof of reduced height toward and to the other side Wall thereof, said rack also including a plurality of shelves extending between the front and rear walls thereof and disposed in vertically spaced relationship and generally in parallelism with said bottom wall portion of the rack, whereby the rack structure forms, in association with the modified drawer with which it is to be used, a means adapted to receive classified stenographic supplies such References Cited in the ile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 727,166 Harrison May 5, 1903v 842,780 Gardner Jan, 29, 1907 2,066,608 Bushnell Ian. 5, 1937 2,362,047 Center Nov. 7, 1944 2,588,163 Ristenpart i Mar. 4, 1952 2,643,167 Wade June 23, 1953 2,660,502 Smith Nov. 24, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 562,466 France u., Sept. 5, 1923 619,022 Great Britain v Mar. 42, 1949 811,147 Germany Aug. 16, 1951 1,149,198 France July 8, 1957 

